Summary. Singkil is a Maranao court dance from Lanao del Sur, famous for its precise footwork between clacking bamboo poles, ornate royal costuming, and music led by the kulintang gong ensemble. A twentieth-century stage adaptation by Bayanihan made it internationally known and added narrative characters, while village and school versions continue to evolve across Mindanao and the diaspora. This guide traces the history, music, steps, attire, and modern variants so you can recognize and appreciate Singkil in context.
Quick facts
| Origin/Region | Maranao people of Lanao del Sur, Mindanao (southern Philippines); developed as a courtly dance and later standardized for national stages. |
| Music/Ensemble | Kulintang gong-chime ensemble with agung (large suspended gongs) and drum support, often paired with bamboo pole percussion. |
| Meter/Feel | Layered cyclical rhythms with steady pulse for pole patterns; tempos vary by section from measured procession to brisk finale. |
| Costume | Princess in embroidered malong and ornate headdress; anklet bells called singkil, sometimes fans or umbrella. Prince character in staged versions may carry a kris and shield. |
| Typical context | Cultural showcases, school programs, festivals, and staged folk ensembles; occasionally at community celebrations. |
| Difficulty | High, due to precise timing with bamboo poles and coordination of props and ensemble formations. |
| Also known as | “Royal Maranao court dance,” often featured as the finale of “Muslim” suites in Philippine folk dance programs. |
Origins & history
Singkil originates with the Maranao, an ethnolinguistic group from Lanao del Sur around Lake Lanao. In Maranao memory and cultural inventories, it is recognized as a royal or courtly dance associated with high-status presentation and refined bearing.
Its name is linked to the anklet bells worn by the lead female dancer. The bells accent the rhythmic cycles and announce the dancer’s controlled, confident steps, a sonic emblem of status and refinement.
Although public perception often treats Singkil as ancient and unchanging, the piece we commonly recognize today was shaped strongly by mid-twentieth-century stagecraft. The Philippine National Dance Company, Bayanihan, codified and popularized a theatrical Singkil beginning in the 1950s, bringing it to national and international audiences. Their version added narrative characters, expanded formations, and a climactic spectacle that worked well for proscenium stages and touring.
This stage success had two effects. First, it standardized expectations of what Singkil “should” look like in schools and festivals, a phenomenon sometimes called the “Bayanihan effect.” Second, it blurred lines between local practice and national performance templates, sometimes obscuring Maranao community variations.
As Islamization reshaped aspects of Maranao cultural life over the last century, dancers, educators, and community leaders negotiated how to frame dance within evolving values. Performances of Singkil became a site where identity and aesthetics were continually discussed, modernized, and presented to outsiders.
Today, you will find Singkil in classroom programs, municipal festivals, university ensembles, and diaspora troupes. Each reinterprets pacing, narrative, and costuming while keeping the essential relationship between dancer, poles, and gong rhythms.
Timeline at a glance:
- Pre-20th century: Courtly Maranao dance references circulate in local tradition, with a principal female dancer whose anklet bells keep time.
- 1950s–1960s: Bayanihan stages and popularizes Singkil with added characters and set pieces for national and foreign tours.
- Late 20th century: School curricula and civic festivals adopt the staged template; regional groups maintain local interpretations.
- 21st century: Ongoing debates about authenticity, religion, and representation shape new performances in Mindanao and abroad.
Music & instruments
Singkil is accompanied by the kulintang ensemble, a set of small, horizontally laid, knobbed gongs that carry the main melody in interlocking patterns. The ensemble typically includes one or two agung, large suspended gongs that provide punctuating low tones, and a dabakan, a single-headed drum, to articulate tempo. Together, they build a cyclical rhythm that dancers and pole-holders can anticipate and lock into.
Across sections of the dance, the music shifts texture rather than meter. A ceremonial entrance may feature a stately kulintang pattern with space for bows and fan gestures. The pole segments favor stable, medium tempos to support precise foot crossings. The finale accelerates slightly, adding energy while staying within the ensemble’s cyclic groove.
When bamboo poles are used, their clack becomes an added percussion voice. Pole holders align closing and opening patterns with the agung strokes or the ostinato of the kulintang, giving dancers reliable auditory cues. This layered acoustic environment, gong lines plus pole clicks, is one reason Singkil reads as both musical and athletic.
Steps & style hallmarks
- Asik prelude. Many staged versions begin with an Asik, an attendant who clears the space with small, fast steps and fan or scarf gestures. This foregrounds court protocol and focuses attention before the principal dancer enters.
- Measured entrance. The princess, poised and upright, enters with controlled weight shifts. Anklet bells mark time. Arms trace symmetrical lines as she acknowledges the audience.
- Pole crossing. The hallmark is the careful threading of feet through opening and closing bamboo poles. Dancers step in, out, and across in counts that match the pole pattern, often two or three clicks per measure. Precision and calm are prized over flash.
- Fan and umbrella work. Props are extensions of line and status. Fans articulate accents or frame the face. An umbrella borne by an attendant can signify rank and protection.
- Spatial patterns. Courtly carriage continues even in complex pathways. The princess slices diagonals between poles, then transitions to lateral phrases that show confidence and command.
- Climactic ensemble. Staged versions build to a fuller cast, sometimes with a prince and escorts. Formations open into arcs and chevrons, ending with synchronized pole clicks and a respectful exit.
To learn the basics, begin by counting the pole pattern out loud before stepping. Practice stepping into the open space on the first click, pausing on the second, and withdrawing on the third. Keep the upper body calm. Let the anklet bells, if used, reinforce timing rather than drive it.
Costume & staging
The lead female dancer traditionally wears richly decorated textiles, often a malong (tubular garment) or layered ensembles with embroidered panels, plus an ornate headdress. Anklet bells, the singkil, supply a signature sound and a visual shimmer at the ankle. Fans may match textile colors, while attendants carry an umbrella or other courtly props that signal rank.
In staged versions, a prince character may appear in bright, brocaded garments. He may carry a kris, a wavy-bladed sword, and a shield. These elements are theatrical additions that amplify narrative presence and are not universal in community practice.
Lighting typically emphasizes jewel-tone fabrics and polished brass of the gongs. Directors often place the kulintang to one side of the stage so the audience can see the interaction between the musician’s patterns and the pole timing.
Variants & interpretations
Maranao court lineage. In community memory and cultural documentation, Singkil is centered on a principal lady of rank. In some accounts and reconstructions, it was a woman-only form, reflecting court protocol. This differs from mixed-gender staged interpretations that pair a princess with a prince.
Bayanihan’s national template. The version widely taught in schools and seen in international tours follows the Bayanihan template. It adds Prince Bantugan and a larger retinue, organizes episodes into a dramatic arc, and places Singkil as the finale of a “Muslim” suite. Critics note that this standardization can flatten diverse Muslim-identified traditions into a single image.
Regional naming and props. Some groups emphasize anklet bells and fans, others foreground umbrella protocol or additional attendants. Bamboo pole configurations vary in number and spacing, from a single pair for pedagogical clarity to multiple intersecting sets for spectacle.
Narrative connections to the Darangen. Interpreters often link Singkil’s poised crossings and rescues to episodes in the Darangen, the Maranao epic cycle, especially stories surrounding Prince Bantugan. Researchers caution that dance-to-epic mappings are creative transformations rather than fixed transcriptions of text.
Contemporary fusions. University and diaspora troupes experiment with lighting, soundtrack layering, and multimedia backdrops while preserving core pole work. Ongoing community conversations help define what feels respectful versus overly spectacular.
Where to experience it now
- National and university companies. Look for Philippine folk ensembles that program a “Muslim” or Mindanao suite with Singkil as a centerpiece. Their versions usually follow the Bayanihan template.
- Mindanao festivals. Provincial and city fiestas sometimes feature school or civic groups performing Singkil with regional costuming and live kulintang.
- Schools and community centers. Cultural education programs teach simplified pole sequences to introduce timing concepts before full staging.
- Diaspora showcases. Filipino cultural associations abroad present Singkil in heritage festivals and independence day programs, adapting to venue size and available musicians.
Common misconceptions
- Myth. Singkil is a religious Muslim ritual. Correction. It is a secular court dance in cultural presentation, not an Islamic rite, though communities may negotiate its framing alongside religious values.
- Myth. The prince and princess pairing is original. Correction. Many accounts describe Singkil as centered on a royal woman, and the male “Prince Bantugan” role was emphasized and elaborated in mid-century stage adaptations.
- Myth. What you see today is exactly centuries old. Correction. The widely known version was codified for stage in the 1950s–60s by Bayanihan, then taught nationally, which standardized look and pacing.
- Myth. Bamboo poles are required in every authentic performance. Correction. Poles are common and visually striking, but practice varies. Some educational or ceremonial settings reduce or alter poles for space or emphasis.
- Myth. Kulintang music is just a background beat. Correction. The kulintang carries melodic cycles and cues that coordinate dancers and pole holders, shaping the structure of each section.
References
- “Singkil Dance,” National Commission for Culture and the Arts, 2011, https://ncca.gov.ph/about-culture-and-arts/culture-profile/singkil/
- “‘Maranao-ness’ Reconsidered: The Impact of Islam on Maranao Dance,” Perspectives in the Arts and Humanities Asia (Ateneo de Manila University), 2018, https://archium.ateneo.edu/paha/vol8/iss2/1
- “The Metamorphosis of Selected Maranao Stories into Dances,” International Academic Forum (IAFOR), 2015, https://papers.iafor.org/wp-content/uploads/papers/librasia2015/LibrAsia2015_09604.pdf
- “Hybridity and National Identity: Different Perspectives of Two National Folk Dance Companies in the Philippines,” Asian Studies: Journal of Critical Perspectives on Asia (UP Diliman), 2011, https://asj.upd.edu.ph/mediabox/archive/ASJ-47-2011/namiki.pdf
- “Staging Autonomous Ethnicities: The ‘Bayanihan Effect’ and its Influence on the Standardisation of the Performing Arts from the Muslim Societies of the Southern Philippines,” ICTM PASEA Proceedings, 2016, https://ictmusic.org/sites/default/files/documents/study%20groups/paofsea/ICTM%20PASEA%202016%20Proceedings%20-%20Bernard%20Ellorin.pdf